Swallowing implies the appropriate use and sufficient function of specific muscles that are also used in speech. Theoretically, if these muscles are functionally affected then phonation and vocalization should be impaired, as well. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between functions of speech and risk of aspiration as defined by swallowing function, and to investigate the diagnostic potential that functions of speech may have in predicting the risk of aspiration. This could allow for earlier stratification of ICU patients for aspiration risks. Aspiration pneumonia has been reported in more than 20% of patients with health care-associated pneumonia. There are multiple tools to assess for risk of aspiration in the ICU, yet these are time consuming, often delayed and involve advanced testing that is performed by a certified speech-language pathologist and/or radiologist. A novel 3-step phonetic evaluation was created and will be implemented on ICU patients at risk for aspiration, and the results will be correlated to the standard swallowing tests. If strong correlation is found in this pilot study, then formal clinical trial will follow to confirm that the simple bed-side phonetic evaluation could allow for earlier identification of patients at risk for aspiration, and more efficient management relative to time and resources utilization.